classical music commission by long-haul trucker to be premiered in Vienna

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

New York, NY, June 14th 2022—Long-haul trucker Brian Lips has commissioned a new piece of chamber music from Manhattan-based classical music composer Stephanie Ann Boyd inspired by his life story. Coming Home, a 4.5 minute work that exists in both string quartet and piano trio versions will be premiered by the piano trio Trio Immersio on July 29th in Vienna, Austria at the ICEBERG Institute. The work is a tribute to journeys and an anthem for the moment when you're back in the arms of your family after that journey.

With over 20 years over the road, 2+ million miles safely driven, commissioner Brian Lips knows a little something about Coming Home! After having a son late in life and looking for a hobby other than watching TV on the road, his friend Kaitlyn, gifted him his first violin on his 52 birthday. He soon found an app called Trala for learning violin—which has been curated and developed with the help of Joshua Bell— and worked at it for hours every night when he was done driving. Brian soon began to tweet about his progress, joining in on hastags like #100daysofpractice, which bring both beginners and world-renowned soloists together in their efforts to get better at their instrument. He currently studies violin with Dr. Katharina Uhde.

“I decided to commission music from Stephanie Ann Boyd”, Brian notes, “because her skill as a composer is unmatched, her attention to detail is incredible, she cares about the placement of each note, and she asks all the right questions…Stephanie weaves your story into the music magically.” The string quartet version of the work has a second violin part specifically engineered to be easily enjoyed and performed by beginning/intermediate violinists so that Brian can play this piece with his professional musician friends. “I’m so honored to have been chosen by Brian to write this work”, Boyd said. “His personal renaissance into the world of classical music is immensely inspiring and I know that Trio Immersio will give our little piece a magical first performance.”

Stephanie Ann Boyd (b. 1990) writes melodic music about women’s memoirs and the natural world for symphonic and chamber ensembles. The 2021-2022 Composer in Residence of the Peoria Symphony Orchestra, her work has been performed in nearly all 50 states and has been commissioned by musicians and organizations in 37 countries. Boyd’s five ballets include works choreographed by New York City Ballet principal dancers Lauren Lovette, Ashley Bouder, and Eero, a ballet commissioned for the grand opening of the TWA Hotel at JFK Airport. Stephanie’s music has been praised as “a racing, brassy score” (New York Times), “attractive lyricism” (Gramophone), “[with] ethereal dissonances” (Boston Globe), “[music that] didn’t let itself be eclipsed” (Texas Classical Review), “arrestingly poetic” (BMOP), and “wide ranging, imaginative” (Portland Press Herald).

Founded in 2013, Trio Immersio won the Suzuki-Enami Foundation prize at the 2013 Fidelio competition within two months of its existence, and has been recognized with a number of awards and prizes since. Notably, Trio Immersio received the “New Sound of Austrian Music” program of the Austrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, given to select musicians to represent the musical culture and traditions of Austria all over the globe. They are also the winner of the Bank of Austria Arts Prize 2016, and are proud members of the Le Dimore del Quartetto association. Trio Immersio has performed at prestigious venues including the Musikverein Wien, Wiener Konzerthaus, RadioKulturhaus Wien, Flagey in Brussels, Royal Danish Opera, Teatru Manoel in Malta, Theatre Sorano in Dakar, CRR Concer Salonu in Istanbul, Schönberg Centre, Ancient Amphitheater in Bodrum, Kyiv Philharmonie, Georgian National Parliamentary Library. Active worldwide, Trio Immersio has toured extensively in the U.S., Canada, Mexico and Japan.

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Stephanie Ann Boyd
stephanie@stephanieannboyd.com
stephanieannboyd.com